It didn't take long for Jim Nagy to land his first two big fish out of the portal as Oklahoma's general manager.

Moments after Stanford transfer OL Jake Maikkula signed with the Sooners on Tuesday, the program also announced the signing of Cal transfer running back Jaydn Ott. A native of Chino (Calif.), Ott was to be one of the most coveted players in the entire spring portal cycle. But he was in the portal less than 24 hours, as Oklahoma snapped him up with little incident once he made the decision to depart the Cal program.

Ott will have one year of eligibility remaining. He immediately bolsters a running back room that's already deep with talent, but boasts individual cogs that have lacked consistency. Senior Jovantae Barnes has been consistently hobbled by injury over the last two seasons, while redshirt junior Gavin Sawchuk was surprisingly a nonfactor throughout 2024 after turning in five straight 100-yard campaigns to close the 2023 season. Taylor Tatum struggled with fumbles throughout his freshman year in 2024, while Xavier Robinson did emerge in the final month of the regular season as a reliable between-the-tackles back.

Despite an injury-riddled 2024 campaign, Ott is only one year removed from a fantastic individual effort that cemented his place among the top backs in college football. In 2023, he rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry for the Golden Bears. Those numbers were strong enough to earn him a spot on the final all-conference team in Pac-12 history.

As a freshman in 2022, Ott accrued 1,218 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns en route to Freshman All-American distinction. Dynamic as a rusher, receiver and returner, Ott gives Oklahoma an incredibly dangerous backfield chess piece to pair with ballyhooed transfer quarterback John Mateer.

Ott's addition helps to mark what could eventually be regarded as a major turning point in the Brent Venables era. The addition of Nagy, who had previously served as executive director of the Senior Bowl since 2018, was met with acclaim across the country. Many believed the longtime NFL front-office mainstay would instantly help the Sooners upgrade their portal recruiting efforts, and the early returns are encouraging to say the very least.

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